TREACHEROUS ICE

Evening Star, Issue 21633, 31 January 1934, Page 6

TREACHEROUS ICE

BYRD EXPEDITION'S TROUBLES ", , } DIFFICULTIES OF UNLOADING • j Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright NEW YORK, January 29. (Received January 31, at 8.5 a.m.)’ . Reports . from the Byrd expedition' state that for the third time in six day* the Jacob Ruppert had to abandon her; berth, due to the crumbling ice . front,; on Sunday, while unloading was pro* grossing. Only energetic action saved the Jacob Ruppert and the men .front serious accident. k Late on Sunday the ice was still breaking while the Jacob Ruppert was reconnoitring in an attempt to obtain a mooring near her original berth. Ad* miral Byrd said: “We are making a' desperate struggle to finish the unload* ing. In the whole of the twenty mile* of coast within this bay there is ap* patently not a single stable place. If the ice keeps going out at this rate Little America may yet be at the water’s edge. Three days of fair feather and a firm dock would see the remainder of the stores unloaded.”

At noon on Saturday the Jacob Rup* pert, after cruising and drifting un* profitably, headed in for the northern! edge of the ice.. The, wind dropped, the swell diminished, and the condition* looked promising for a resumption q£ unloading. We passed a floe as big as a ballroom floor, carrying twentyfive bales of hay, which was .intended for our three cows and the bull, bub which was lost when the ice crumbled near the hay cache. The Jacob Rup* pert finally berthed ,a mile west of her old position. About a dozen men, in* eluding Verlager, were waiting on the ice. They were bold and weary. Burt and Colomb were, snow blind. Verlager shouted; “ 111. Take ship.” The motor sailer was lowered and. eight men were brought aboard.

Across the white flooring of the bay; ice came dog teams and tractors summoned' from the pressure camp,; about five miles to the south-east* Within a few hours unloading was resumed. Admiral Byrd shouted through the megaphone: “ Take no risks. Watch the ice. It may go out at any minute.: Move the stuff back from the edge a 3 rapidly as you can.”

Unloading proceeded uneventfully, throughout the night.'Dyer, Pierce, Abele, Noville, Paige, and several others were loading ten gasoline drums on tractor sledges. Admiral Byrd, who was alert despite forty-eight sleepless hours,noticed Lindley, who was, shoring the Jacob Ruppert with, telephone poles near the ice edge. Admiral..: Byrd shouted: “Put the line on, Lindley; you’re-taking a long chance.” Lindley, roped himself, Pierce holding the other end of the , line. Suddenly. Lindley shrieked: “ Stop ” The ice on which he was standing collapsed, hurling him towards the water. Pierce pulled him back. Then another section of the ice gave. Tejersen blew four.blasts on the Jacob Ruppert’s whistle, which was the signal for all hands on the ice. The pen worked frantically to save the gasoline. Three drums were rolled across the widening crack to safe ice. Si* more were taken aboard the ship in a cargo net. Then the men leaped safely, across the crack as the whole front of the edge of the bay crashed, forcing the Jacob Ruppert to sail away.